Chapter 55

The next morning, after Tony Stark finished washing up and walked into the living room, he saw Nick Fury sitting on the sofa with Agent Coulson beside him.

Seeing this, Tony helplessly raised his head and called out to Jarvis. This time, Jarvis responded.

"Mr. Stark, is there something you need?" Jarvis asked.

"How did you let these two in? Put them on the blacklist!" Tony Stark said, his face dark with anger.

"Sorry, Mr. Stark, they attacked the system, and I couldn't stop them," Jarvis replied.

"Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., huh? I'll sue you for breaking into my private property!" Tony Stark said, infuriated.

"Doesn't matter, as long as you can file the suit," Fury said calmly. Tony Stark now lost his temper. While the influence of American corporations was indeed strong, it was nothing compared to the power of special agencies.

So Tony Stark just sat down and said, "Fine, now you have the chance to explain what you were trying to do last night."

"Does Captain America know?" Fury asked directly.

Tony Stark gave Fury a disdainful look and said, "What do you want? Are you asking me to wear the Iron Man suit and dance with a bunch of bunny girls in front of my fans to sell war bonds?"

Fury didn't mind Tony Stark's mockery and continued, "You must know how Captain America came about during World War II."

Tony Stark furrowed his brow and said seriously, "Super soldier serum research? Aren't there no successful cases apart from that tight suit-wearing war bond salesman? All the data was destroyed. And didn't the military classify that research?"

Fury shook his head, then took a file from Coulson and said, "But General Ross of the military restarted the program and succeeded halfway. Take a look."

"Halfway successful?" Tony Stark asked, confused, then picked up the document from the table. The more he read, the more his frown deepened. He only put the document down after finishing, rubbing his temples with exhaustion.

"Actually, they didn't succeed. This is just the consequence of an accident during the experiment. If it had really worked, they wouldn't just have one big brute like that," Tony Stark sneered, glancing at the huge green figure in the file.

Tony Stark continued to mock, "And becoming a big brute without any rationality? That's the definition of a failure within a failure."

Listening to Tony Stark ruthlessly ridicule the military's achievements, Fury didn't argue. He actually agreed, but for the sake of his own plan, he still spoke up: "I told you last night, you're not the only superhero in the world. Bruce Banner is one of our targets."

"One of your targets? What, are you planning to collect these bizarre beings?" Tony Stark asked in disbelief.

"By the way, you're one of the bizarre ones yourself," Fury said, shrugging.

"What? You actually put me, a genius, in the same category as these failures? Then forget about your plan. There's no way I'll agree to it," Tony Stark said, angrily.

"Dr. Bruce Banner was already a physicist before his transformation and had eight PhDs. And when he's not angry, he's obviously much better than you. Also, you still need to undergo evaluation to see if you're fit to join," Fury said flatly.

"What? I need to be evaluated? But that guy who turns into a big brute doesn't? I suspect your head really is like a boiled egg, with no brain, just yolk," Tony Stark began to unleash his venom.

Fury, clearly caught off guard by Tony Stark's sudden jabs, blushed so deeply that his face nearly matched the color of his suit. It must be said that Tony Stark's insults hit hard.

"You're arrogant, won't listen to advice, and isolate yourself—that's your biggest flaw. Bruce Banner doesn't have those issues," Fury said, his face dark.

"Well, I must thank myself for having so many advantages. Otherwise, you'd want me to become your obedient soldier? That's a real joke. My home doesn't welcome you, and give me back what my father left me, or I'll go get it myself," Tony Stark said with a grin.

After saying that, he seemed to remember something and added, "And I'll bring Qin Li. I think he'd be happy to help me get back what's mine."

Fury couldn't be bothered to argue further with Tony Stark. The rich billionaire obviously hadn't had his edges smoothed yet, so he still needed more training. As for the stuff? He could give it back, but what was the point of involving Qin Li? Would he resort to nuclear weapons if things didn't go his way?

Fury signaled Coulson to place another file on the table and then left with Coulson. Tony Stark, still annoyed, looked at the other file, which only had a few large words written on it: Avengers Initiative.

Only when he saw Fury and Coulson leave did Tony Stark reluctantly sit back on the sofa. Driven by curiosity, he picked up the Avengers Initiative file and began to read.

Confirmed members: Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow), Clint Barton (Hawkeye)

Evaluated members: Tony Stark (Iron Man), Bruce Banner (Hulk), Frank Castle (Punisher), Qin Li (Priest?)

When Tony Stark saw Qin Li's name, he was confused about why Qin Li was included in the Avengers plan, especially with a question mark next to his title. As he read further, detailed descriptions followed. Tony Stark could imagine that with these people's abilities, invading a small country would be a breeze.

Why would the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. want to form such a powerful team? Tony Stark, once again helpless, rubbed his forehead and picked up the document about biotechnological strength enhancement. He decided to go to the basement to talk to Qin Li about it.

After getting into his suit in the dressing area, Tony Stark flew out of the basement and headed toward Qin Li's church.

Meanwhile, Qin Li had just separated Nick from his beloved game console, tossing the console into his room. He then told Nick, "You're still young. Let me take care of your game console. You should practice boxing with Shang Chi more."

"No! I've already done the basics with Big Brother Shang Chi this morning. I need my game console to relieve my fatigue!" Nick protested loudly.

"Maybe a stir-fried bamboo shoot with pork will relieve your fatigue faster?" Qin Li said with a malicious grin.

Nick knew by the look on Qin Li's face that this bamboo shoot stir-fry was no joke, but he still asked, "What's bamboo shoot stir-fry? Is it a Chinese dish made by Uncle Chen?"

"Ah, that is indeed a typical Chinese dish. Naughty kids are often fed it by their parents," Qin Li said with a sinister smile.

Nick swallowed nervously and tentatively asked, "So, what is it?"

"It's where a thin bamboo stick is used to smack your butt. No bamboo? An iron hanger or a stick works just as well," Qin Li said flatly, already reaching for a stick nearby. Don't ask why the stick was there—it's the same reason parents always have something nearby when they punish their kids.

"Okay, okay! I think I've spent enough time with the game console. It's time we both had some space to cool off. I'm sure this bamboo shoot stir-fry is awful," Nick said, raising his hands and backing away in terror.

"Good, now go eat," Qin Li said, throwing the stick aside and speaking with a menacing tone.